


The Pilot and the Survivalist

by trainingforstarfleet (dragonqueenling)



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/F, minor appearances by the other Disco crew
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27329293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonqueenling/pseuds/trainingforstarfleet
Summary: When the Discovery is given a new mission Captain Pike has the perfect crew for the job- Keyla Detmer and Joann Owosekun. What ensues is a shuttle crash, survival shenanigans, and a lot of feelings!
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	The Pilot and the Survivalist

Pike signed off with Starfleet command, contemplating the latest mission they had given the Discovery. It was an important mission- the potential of the pure dibarium deposits in the planet’s subterranean cave systems could give the Federation numerous tactical advantages as it rebuilds after the Klingon War. The conditions were going to be tricky. All of Starfleet’s prior intelligence suggested that tech didn’t work reliably on the planet which would be difficult in terms of finding the dibarium and in piloting the shuttle through its very hazardous path. Luckily Pike had two crewmembers in mind who would be perfect for the upcoming job.

* * *

With the last of their gear packed, Detmer and Owosekun checked in one last time with Tilly. Their noncontact orders meant that their shuttle had to be specially outfitted to blend in with the planet’s technological stage and Tilly had been put in charge of specially outfitting the shuttle.

“Here’s the switch” Tilly said, pointing to a small box on the left console. “And try to make sure no one gets too close to the shuttle, the holo-emitter makes sure the shuttle looks right but if they try to touch it…”

“We’re in trouble!” chorused all three women as they laughed together. It was something that Chief Engineer Koto said regularly- they weren’t exactly the most optimistic crewmember. But to be fair to them Discovery seemed to fly away from one bit of trouble and end up right in the middle of a new disaster.

“Hey, be careful okay?” Tilly said seriously. Discovery had lost a lot and she wasn’t ready to lose two of her best friends.

“Don’t worry Tilly- we’ll both look after each other” Jo said, a look flashing across her face as she glanced at Keyla, “Let’s go- we don’t want to lose the orbital path”.

* * *

“Shuttle One you are cleared for takeoff” Gen’s voice crackled over the transmission system.

In the back of the shuttle Jo counted off supplies and mentally checked that they had everything they might need. The planet’s atmosphere made it impossible to fully scan for conditions, so she needed to make sure they had supplies for all potential scenarios. Jo was in charge of keeping herself and Keyla alive. It was a job she did not take lightly.

She settled into her seat. “Ready?” She asked, giving Keyla’s arm a squeeze. She knew that Keyla’s confidence had taken a big hit when Discovery had been captained by Lorca. Jo was glad she could be with Keyla on her first big mission since the Lorca Days.

“Ready.” Keyla took a deep breath and touched her good luck charm- a bracelet Jo had made her one evening when Tilly taught the bridge crew how to make knotted bracelets. Apparently 21st century Earth civilians had used them to signify friendships.

Jo flipped the holo-emitter switch on and the sleek design of Shuttle 1 was hidden by a hologram. With very little data available the team of engineers and xenoanthropologists aboard the ship had determined that Planet 386-C had technology that closely matched 20th century Earth. And so, as Detmer and Owosekun slowly exited the shuttle bay the bridge crew of Discovery watched an open cockpit biplane flying off into space.

Keyla slowed the shuttle down as they entered free space outside Discovery.

“It never gets old” she whispered. Ever since she was a child Keyla had loved being in open space. When she was growing up her moms had been highly respected researchers, so her family traveled around a lot. The one constant throughout it all had been the beautiful, enormity of space. On her 5th birthday she’d watched a red giant die, at 8 she’d traveled through more nebulas than most grown adults, and by 12 she was flying her family’s shuttle through asteroid belts and ion storms. In some ways space was more of a home than any planet could be.

Jo quietly watched the grin spread across Detmer’s face as she took in the beauty of the stars and vast space around them. Jo didn’t get to see her like this very often. When they worked on the bridge together Detmer was so quiet, so serious, so focused. Out here in the unpredictable wildlands of space- she was confident, comfortable, and a bit mischievous.

With the Discovery behind them, Keyla and Jo carefully made their way through space to intercept the planet at a high orbit. Discovery was anchored out of orbit to make sure their presence wasn’t detected by the planet’s occupants.

The planet ahead of them looked a lot like Earth. Starfleet had attempted to send down a probe earlier that year, but they were only able receive a few bytes of data before the probe stopped responding. From that data Starfleet catalogued the planet as a Class M planet with an atmosphere approximately 1.5 times thicker than standard earth measurements. The planet’s surface was largely obscured by swathes of thick purple clouds. Swirling grey zones indicated atmospheric changes- was it rain? Wind funnels? Snowstorms? Starfleet didn’t know but soon Owosekun and Detmer would be there and hopefully find some answers. Even though they had a mission neither could give up the chance to do a little scientific exploration.

Their destination was a serious of rocky outcroppings and subterranean cave systems in the northeastern hemisphere. Detmer flipped on guidance system and circled over the upper hemisphere of the planet a few times. The unique makeup of the planet’s atmosphere meant that once they entered the planet’s atmosphere Detmer would have to rely on an old-fashioned guidance system- her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! I originally started writing this for a femslash big bang but then the world happened. So I am posting and finishing now! All comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated


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